It's time to end the attack on Justice.  

Politicians masquerading as reformers have attacked our court system that, in concert with the Constitution of the United States, protects our citizens from tyranny.  Attacking Americans constitutionally guaranteed right to a speedy and fair trial is un-American and it's time to take our little part of the country back.

Our court system needs Court commissioners and skilled staff to handle cases that keep our court system moving smoothly and keeps our jails from experiencing costly overcrowding.  If cases don't move through the court system due to a lack of trained professionals, the accused will be warehoused in the jail for weeks -- leading to a clogged court system and over crowded jail. Several positions that protect our rights as citizens are in danger of being cut.

Commissioners act as triage agents for Judges by accepting guilty pleas when the accused is not contesting the charges.  To slash funding for these officers of the court would be like eliminating nurses from an emergency room.  While the work will still get done, more Judges (who come at a much higher cost) will be required to do the same work. 

Sensible alternatives like the Day Reporting Center (DRC) provide the dual purpose of providing structure for those convicted, as well as providing job training skills.  When the DRC is fully funded, non-violent inmates that are not a flight risk can be redirected to the DRC to receive training and structure for the remainder of their sentence.  This saves tax dollars on jail overcrowding costs and the more menacing cost to all in our society -- criminal recidivism.  DRC "graduates" have a lower rate of criminal recidivism than the inmate population at either the House of Corrections or the County jail.

We need County leaders who understand the importance of our constitutional rights and every citizens right to justice.  We cannot afford to sit idly by as citizens constitutional rights are eroded.

Messenger, Milwaukee Bar Association, November 2003
The Court-Funding Crisis: What Must Be Done
Our judicial system is threatened by the fiscal crisis that has beset state and local government. In her October 16, 2003 “State of the Judiciary Address,” Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson warned of the severe strains imposed on “an already under-funded judicial system.” Nowhere are the strains more evident than in our own courthouse.

Address to the County Finance Committee, The Honorable Michael Sullivan, Chief Judge, November 2003
Cuts will deny justice, lead to costly jail overcrowding
The cuts could force the closing of more than 20 per cent of our 47 courts for lack of clerks to staff them.   Those cuts could force the curtailing of criminal intake because of a lack of court commissioners to staff it; this would quickly result in an overcrowded population in the county jail and deny, not only defendants but also victims their timely day in court.